Don’t call it a comeback.
(OK, maybe a little.)
Dwyane Wade returned to the Miami Heat’s starting lineup, as he led them to an 86-79 win over the rival New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Maybe it was the seven game rest, or it was playing at the world’s most famous arena, but Wade looked sharp as he helped the Heat hold off a late Knicks rally to push Miami to 9-7 on the season. The Knicks fall to 4 and awful (or 14).
Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 31 points, on 11 of 26 shooting. Anthony missed the last two games with backs spasms, but had no problems carrying the load for a Knicks squad that’s looking ahead to the summer of 2015, as opposed to being a serious threat for this year’s playoffs.
Amar’e Stoudemire turned back the clock, as he went for 19 points and 12 rebounds. It was his third double-double of the year, as he played with the same energy he had when he was with the Phoenix Suns earlier in his career, before injuries took their toll on him.
Things that pleased me: Miami saw their lead trimmed to two with about eight minutes to go, before Wade checked in and proceeded to score 13 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter. Pull-up jumpers and fadeaways were on the menu, as the Knicks had no response for Wade reverting back to 2006. He shot 11 for 18 from the field, and 6 of 8 in the fourth, as helped the Heat extend their lead back to the double-digits, before a late surge by New York made things interesting near the end.
Which is where Chris Bosh picked things up and hit another big, late-game three-pointer to give the Heat a five point lead with about a minute left that essentially sealed the fate of the Knicks. After a slow first half, Bosh scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half. He struggled a bit with his shot, missing 11 of his 18 attempts, but still was aggressive and not letting that get him down. He also chipped in 9 rebounds.
Things that annoyed me: It’s Heat vs. Knicks, so an 86-79 slop-fest is almost to be expected. If this were 1997. While offenses have come a long way since then, these two teams took a leap backwards in the evolution of basketball. New York shot 35.2% from the field, and a whopping 3 for 24 from downtown. They might as well have been shooting from downtown Manhattan. With guys like Anthony and J.R. Smith firing away, the Knicks won’t ever be confused with the San Antonio Spurs anytime soon. But 35% is atrocious.
Yet the Heat weren’t that much better, shooting 41.7% from the field, and 7 of 23 from deep. Although Miami led the whole way, their inability to consistently make baskets allowed New York to hang around, as they got the deficit to two points on a few occasions in the fourth quarter. It also didn’t help that the Heat missed 12 of their free throws, with 7 of those missed coming in the last period.
The Knicks beat the Heat on the glass, out-rebounding them 50-41. New York averages 38.9 boards per game, so the jump is a bit alarming.
Things that perplexed me: Shannon Brown is no longer with the Heat, but that still won’t stop Erik Spoelstra from not extending James Ennis’ minutes. Ennis made his presence felt with 7 quick points in the second quarter, including a three-pointer, which helped spark a quick 10-2 run for the Heat that helped push the lead to 12. Something like that would make you think he get some extra run, but you would be wrong. Ennis ended up playing a total of 10 minutes.
I’m not saying that Ennis is the next big thing. But when the Heat are struggling getting production when Wade sits, maybe giving a young player who has shown an ability to create his own shot some extra run might be beneficial. Because…
Scale of 1 to 10, how bad did I want to throw a lamp because of Mario Chalmers?: 7. I can only hear announcers say “Heat need Chalmers to pick up the scoring while Wade sits” only so many times. And I only own so many lamps.
While Chalmers has started the season off well, he has yet to show that this is something he can sustain. In his 23 minutes, he scored just 3 points, while committing 3 turnovers. He picked up 5 fouls, as he was making head-scratching decisions on defense. His role as backup shooting guard puts him in this position, but he can run hot/cold with the best of them. Sunday wasn’t a “Good Mario” night.
What we’ve learned: That Wade can still be a dangerous player when he’s healthy. After missing the Heat’s last seven games, Wade came back and took over when Miami needed him the most. His mini-shootout with Anthony in the fourth quarter was a welcome thing to see, as the Heat had a weapon to answer any big shot the Knicks were making.
Now we’ll see whether he can keep that pace on the second night of a back-to-back, as the Heat go to Washington on Monday for a showdown with the Southeast Division leading Wizards.